That's right folks. Your friendly neighborhood microbiologist is now on FBI lists as someone who could potentially unleash whatever biohazard you'd desire onto an unspecting world.

How'd this happen? Basically, my national association, the American Society for Microbiology, sold out and provided the FBI the list of ALL it's members (Tens of thousands) free of charge. No muss, no fuss. You want proof? Ask me, I'll forward you the email the ASM sent to me.

Now, it is true the list of ASM members is public domain, and it is true the Feds could've gotten them eventually. But the fact that upsets me is that MY organization, the one who is suppossed to protect MY interests, caved in to the witchhunt going on and gave the government MY name. And this is no isolated incident, I've said this all along. The rounding up and questioning of people of Middle Eastern decent for no just cause, people now calling for an national ID card, trying to develops lists and databases of airline passengers and now foriegn students, community-based national security...

And I find it odd that it is a war on terrorism while the people taken captive are not afforded prisoner of war rights. Last I checked, you can't have it both ways.

This is not the America that I understand in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Oh wait, that got thrown out the window...
My bad.

People said what happened to the Japanese living in America after Pearl Harbor couldn't happen again.
Take a look around you.

Interesting idea, now suspecting an entire professional society. Got me to thinking, we're very close to being prosecuted for thought crimes now.
I'm suspected not for what I've done, but for what I know and what I therefore potentially could do
How very interesting...

All the while King George plays war. Like I said before, like father like son. With pressure being put on him at home, he falls back on the oldest card that a weak leader can play: Foreign insurgence and attack.

North Korea and 2 other countries whom I cannot remember are now the "Axis of Evil". The war on terrorism is just starting according to King George, so therefore he can keep people distracted from the country's own woes (Enron, economy) by making them look overseas. He's using strong words saying if other nations will not stand up against terrorism, the U.S. will. Now he's alienating his own allies, as the Phillipine government took Bush's comments to mean the U.S. would send troops onto another sovereign country's soil to take care of American enemies. Don't believe me? Go to CNN.com and look at the world reaction link.

Happened before, look at Panama with Noreiga in the 90's. And in the 50's with Senator McCarthy and his hunt for communists.

It's also a brilliant political ploy on his move. You see, he's still got 3 years til reelection, so when his term is up he can always play the Star-Spangled Banner and claim "The war on terrorism isn't over yet, and I need to finish the job". Faster than you can blink he'll be back in the White House.

Cynical? You bet. Distrusting? Certainly. Just remember what Oscar Wilde said "Patriotism in the virtue of the vicious".

Am I saying justice does not need to be done? No. Am I saying terrorism is not a valid concern? No. What I am saying is the ends do not justify the means. Do not trample on the principles of this country's founding in an attempt to PROTECT those selfsame principles...

There may be those of you of course who of course may call me a traitor, a sympathizer, whatever. If being a traitor or a sympathizer means following the dictates of conscience, so be it.

I could go on, but I won't. Everyone's world was changed that day, even if you don't live in the U.S. I told you all this to let you know just how much it is changing for those of us here.

I know it seems very incongruous to be doing responses right now, but life goes on.

Melange: I hope they fix that leak for you, and that your mattress isn't soaked through. I take it the room's too small for you to move your bed around?
Ming-Ling: You know, I was always of the opinion that you're not a real Californian (For those who weren't born and raised here) until you became more annoyed at earthquakes than scared of them. For me, I hate earthquakes because they usually wake me up.
Ryan: Dude, if that is a real game and not some gag I don't even know what to say.